1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a motor vehicle with a passenger compartment, a vehicle roof which in its closed position closes the passenger compartment, and a cargo bed which is open to the top and which is located behind the passenger compartment.
2. Description of Related Art
Motor vehicles having a passenger compartment, a roof closing the passenger compartment and a cargo bed located behind the passenger compartment, often referred to as pick-ups, are becoming increasingly popular since they can be used in a versatile manner and are well suited especially for the transport of articles. On the other hand, convertibles are also becoming increasingly popular.
Published German patent application 100 28 780 A1 discloses a station wagon which can be converted into a pickup. To do this, the side windows, which are located behind the C pillar, and the back window are lowered, and the roof element covering these windows is pushed forward over or under the fixed roof which is located in front of this roof element. By moving the back window together with the frame which guides it forward and moving the back window up, the passenger compartment is closed to the rear, and the conversion of the station wagon into a pick-up is complete.
Published German patent application 100 28 777 A1 likewise discloses a station wagon which can be converted into a pick-up. To do this, the side windows, which are located behind the C pillar, and the back window are lowered. The roof element, covering these windows, is securely joined to two D pillars, to the lower ends of which one end of a respective swiveling lever is coupled. The other end of this swiveling lever is coupled to the respective side wall. The roof element together with the two D pillars is swiveled forward and slightly up so that the roof element comes to rest over the fixed roof which is located in front of this roof element and the D pillars come to rest behind the C pillars. After the back window is moved up, the passenger compartment is closed again to the rear and the conversion of the station wagon into a pack-up is completed.
Neither of the two above-described station wagons, which can be converted into a pick-up, can be converted into a convertible. German Utility Model application 298 17 132 U1, however, discloses a pick-up with a sliding roof which is divided into two roof cover parts. The roof includes a roll bar located in the rear part of the passenger compartment as a fixed body part. The roof cover parts can be pushed to the rear on top of one another into a pocket in the transverse part of the roll bar. The roll bar must have a considerable length in the lengthwise direction of the vehicle for this purpose. In this way, the panoramic view which is desired in convertibles is adversely affected to a major degree. Moreover, the roof cannot be completely removed, but the roof length can be reduced at most to the length of the roof cover parts which lie on top of one another. Thus the vehicle cannot be regarded as a genuine convertible.
There do not appear to be any known vehicles in which conversion from a pick-up into a genuine convertible and vice versa can be accomplished. Thus the automobile buyer is forced to decide in favor of one of the two aforementioned vehicle types.